The Oklahoma legislature Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget wrapped up this week by passing 13 bills Thursday.
Altogether, the measures represent nearly $47 million in revenue.
A reworked proposal to tax pro sports tickets was among the bills. A previous proposal subjected tickets to sales tax. House Bill 2361 would generate an estimated $2.7 million by instituting a $1 fee on tickets that cost $50 or less and a $2 fee on tickets that cost more than $50.
Rep. Jason Dunnington asked Rep. Leslie Osborn about an assertion the new proposal is good because people in the cheap seats at Thunder games would pay a $1 fee rather than$4 in sales tax.
"But someone that sits on the floor now, instead of paying $125, is going to pay $2," Dunnington said. "Do you think that that's equitable?"
"I think this is the agreement that was reached with industry," Osborn said.
Opponents also said by instituting a per-ticket fee rather than a sales tax, cities will miss out on revenue. Lawmakers met with representatives from the Oklahoma City Thunder in writing the fee proposal.
Another measure would make low-point beer more expensive to drink at a bar or restaurant. Rep. Harold Wright says with 3.2 beer on its way out, beer lobbyists agreed to House Bill 2360, which subjects low-point beer to the same mixed-drink tax that’s on strong beer.
"It would add 7 percent, on-premise tax to 3.2 beer until the beer goes away," Wright said. "So, it'll raise about $17 million to $20 million for the budget this year."
Lawmakers also took a redo on a proposal to raise the license fee on vending machines. Rep. Kevin Wallace said in talks to get vending machine operators on board, they agreed to a 33 percent rather than a 100 percent increase in their license fee.
Rep. Jason Murphey said coin-operated machines are dying out because few people carry cash anymore.
"And isn't it very much a bad process to write a budget around an income source, which I think everybody here down even sides knows that income will not materialize, and that will be an automatic hole in the budget," Murphey said.
A fiscal analysis estimates House Bill 2359 will generate almost $1.8 million.
